the pull of your heart ღ
by QueenAlla
Summary: An apology gone wrong leads to a new discovery. And perhaps a potential disaster. Tiva. T to be safe.


Why hello there, fellow NCIS readers! I'm a probie in the NCIS fanfic universe, come from the far off planet of Final Fantasy Land xD So yeah, I hope you don't mind this one-shot. I've been contemplating writing a Tiva fic for many months, but I was afraid that I'd end up writing a boring, cliché, never-gonna-happen load of garbage that would sicken me to look back and read. Haha. I mean, not many people can pull of a decent NCIS fic. I'm not expecting myself to be one of these people, but I'll give it a go, yeah?

This one-shot is inspired by (and based around) the soon-to-be episode one, of season eight, titled "The Spider and the Fly", to be released during September this year. It's a snippet of how I'd like Tony to apologize to Ziva for missing her citizenship ceremony. Though of course, it's never going to happen, rofl XD

Oh and by the way, if you want a good Tiva read, check out the fic (or author) 'Get Another Boyfriend', by C-Rokk. It's full of McAwesomeness :DD (okay, that was lame.)

**Disclaimer:** Do I want them? Yes. Do I own them? No.

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The grim, unpromising sky didn't exactly speak words of encouragement to Tony DiNozzo, who , back from his mission in Mexico, had spent the early hours of the morning deciding how best to apologize to Ziva for missing her citizenship ceremony. Flowers? Nah, too cheesy and lovey-dovey. Unless they were Abby's choice cut, in which case, they were too gloomy and desperate to mean anything from him. Chocolates? Once again, too on the romantic side.

His promise to Ziva had meant a lot. She was finally becoming an American citizen, and deserting the lonely back roads of her past with Mossad was something that had taken courage. She was to be respected for her decision. After all, she had practically chosen NCIS as her family over Eli. Not that it was a tough choice, what with him attempting to have his own daughter _killed_.

_That bastard._ Tony thought in disgust, his hate for the Director simmering to a boil. _He raises his own daughter as a killer, destroys any childhood she could have ever possibly dreamed of, and despite everything she's done for him, sends out some low-life crap-bag to murder her. I'd sure like to give him a piece of my mind._

That was when Tony decided. He'd offer to take her out some place nice. Some place special. A place where she could forget her troubles and develop her friendship with him. _That way, we both win._

He'd catch her early. Get into work before everyone else to surprise her, maybe bump into her whilst in the elevator…Whatever happened, he'd make sure no one else was there to watch. Especially McSnoop.

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Tony was leaned back in his chair, playing a nice, quiet game of kung-fu-whale; a game that defied the mechanics of the planet itself. The grey storm clouds continued to loom outside, threatening the city with a heavy down pour.

It was 7 am and Ziva had just exited the lift. If Gibbs were around, at least he'd be down in the cafeteria sipping on his morning coffee.

As she approached, Tony sat up straight in his chair and put on his most serious face. He was forced to close his internet browser when a loud whale's call echoed through the speakers.

"You're here early." Ziva stated nonchalantly as she dumped her bag at her desk.

"Ziva, wait." Tony began, rising from his seat and taking three swift steps to stand in front of his partner. He took in her expression. By the looks of her, she had a late night. Late, but good. Most likely spent celebrating her citizenship with the rest of the NCIS crew. He hated himself for missing such an important event- or rather, hated Vance for it.

"Yes, Tony?" She replied, looking him over. Whilst she appeared rather indifferent about it all, he could sense that she was hurt.

"Vance…I had orders…Ziva, I'm sorry." He felt like a fool, stumbling over his words. It had sounded so perfect in his mind, but seeing her face had made him falter. He wanted, but didn't know how, to show her he was sincere in his apology. His words felt useless, like simple excuses good for nothing but saving his ass.

And that's when it happened.

Taking a sharp step forward, Tony cupped his hand on her cheek and kissed her, softly and sweetly; it wasn't a kiss driven by lust, but a kiss signifying his feelings towards her. It was a kiss that cried 'Forgive me', 'I love you', and 'I can't help but want you' all at once. And it was probably a huge mistake. It was probably an act out of line. It was probably a Probie move, something that he would soon come to regret. Not because it was a lie, but because consequences occurred even to the innocent.

He could feel Ziva kiss him back with equal force. Her lips were warm and moist, and although barely seconds had passed, it felt like an eternity. Suddenly the sweet sensation was interrupted by a short, upwards clap to the head.

"Rule fifty-two, DiNozzo."

Though it wasn't entirely a surprise that Gibbs had witnessed the event, being the all-knowing Gibbs that he was, Tony still jumped in fright, and his gut still churned in terror. "Boss! Uh, a new rule?"

"Never lip lock with an ex-Mossad officer." Gibbs' replied as he headed towards MTAC. There was a flit of amusement in his tone.

"Is that one for the record?" Tony called after him. Realising he wasn't about to get a response any time soon, he added, "Yeah, I think so too."

Tony groaned. He had made a complete fool of himself. If this resulted in either of the two being transferred to another team, he would most likely shoot himself for it. However, Gibbs hadn't seemed too worried. Had he sensed Tony's moment of weakness? No. Moment of weakness were not allowed in his team. Moments of weaknesses were what caused the most disaster. They were what resulted in deaths, he knew from past experiences. Moments of weakness were things to be avoided, and if they weren't, would surely come right back and bite you on the bum.

_Never lip lock with an ex-Mossad officer_. Tony would have considered his remark a warning if it weren't for the look on Ziva's face. She suddenly seemed mesmerized with him; her dark brown eyes were set in a gaze bound with an equal mixture of bewilderment and newfound passionate longing. Any concerns that his kiss would result in his death faded instantly. At that moment, he knew. Ziva felt the same way. It was as if they were teenagers again, lost in emotion and lust, where at that precise moment in time, if only for a fleeting moment, they were the only people in the room, in the city, in the world.

"Tony…" Ziva began, her dark eyes flitting down to the floor.

His dopey grin morphed into a charming smile. He didn't care that they were in the middle of the squadroom, may Gibbs kill him for his disreputable behaviour, he just wanted to say what he had been holding back for so long.

"Ziva, I…" His mind began to wander from the beauty in front of him, replaced instead by the awkward feeling that someone was watching their heart-to-heart conversation. He turned his head around, and sure enough, there was McGee, leaning back casually at his desk, a satisfied smirk playing on his face as he watched the sappy scene before him. Tony narrowed his eyes and studied the pride-ridden man. Smoothing his hair back, he chuckled and let the distance between the two grow shorter by the second, until his face was inches from McGee's. With his hands flat on his partner's desk, he muttered in his most dangerously threatening tone, "Listen here, McSly, if one word of this escapes from your lips, I'll be onto you faster than Indiana Jones is to Marion on a heated summers night." Tony furrowed his brow when he realised what he'd just said. "Forget I said that."

McGee dealt him a weirded-out glance. "And I'll forget I heard that."

"You will," Ziva added, stepping into place next to Tony. She appeared none too pleased with McGee. "You will forget everything you have seen and heard here today or else I will tie you naked to a street pole and put a 'bump me' sign beside you."

Both Tony and McGee stared at Ziva, uneasy to say the least. "Ah, actually Ziva I think you mean-"

"No, I mean what I said, McGee. So I suggest you learn to keep quiet, or let me sew your mouth shut." To reinforce her threat, Ziva took out her sharpest pocket knife and began to flick the metal upwards in her palm, playing with the dangerous weapon as if it were a child's toy. After many years of working together, the men had learnt never to doubt Ziva's words. She was a woman of truth. Plus, carrying several knives up her sleeves helped ease any qualms.

"Heh." Tony chuckled, inching his way towards the men's room. In his best Terminator impression, he clicked his fingers at his two co-workers and said, "I'll be back."

Tony's laidback, playful exterior betrayed his true emotions. In reality, his mind was spinning. Ziva had just continued on as usual. Yes, at first, she did appear pleased, but then who wouldn't, in her position? He didn't know what to think.

Resting his hands against the flat surface of the bathroom counter, Tony stared absentmindedly at the bottom of the pristine white basin. Too pristine, for his liking. Nothing in life was that perfect; especially not relationships. You could call him cynical, but he had a developed a bad rap when it came to such dealings. It had hit him hardest with Jeanne, the first woman he had truly fallen in love with. But as such, it was a relationship destined to fail. Was he not meant to be happy, content with his life? Although he would never admit it to another living soul, Ziva had hit a nerve several months ago, when she had inquired whether at Christmas time, did he ever regret not having a family of his own he could go home to. It was true. He longed for such happiness. To go home every night to a loving wife and children was something he had been secretly yearning for years. Not that it was unusual. He was in his late 30's, after all.

So why didn't he have one? He was by no means unattractive, self absorbed, or homosexual. Was it that he was afraid? Afraid of metamorphosing from the carefree lothario to the stay-at-home family man? No, he just hadn't found the right woman…A woman was what he needed. Someone whose interests met his own. Someone who-

"Tony?"

He was grateful for the interruption. Any more soul-seeking and he was sure he would self-implode. Or turn soft and mushy. Standing up, he straightened his jacket and smoothed his hair back before turning submissively towards the woman next to him. He had grown accustomed to Ziva's trips to the men's bathroom, and he wouldn't have been surprised if she had decided to zip down her fly and take a leak in one of the urinals.

Tony took in her expression. Her auburn eyes sparkled with a restrained curiosity and a hint of lust. He found himself gazing intently at her, and when he sensed that he was wearing his classic investigator look, he forced a weak smile.

"Hey, Zee-vah. Come to take a leak?" Once again, he was dodging the inevitable. He mentally cursed himself for this.

"No," She replied in her driest voice. A wry smile played at her lips, characteristically of her. "And using my expert investigator skills, I can see you haven't either."

Tony chuckled in an attempt to cover up his bewilderment. Then he turned for a full 360 degrees around the bathroom. "What, you installed cameras, my sneaky little ninja?"

Ziva glanced from his lips to his eyes, studying him. After several moments of lip-biting, contemplations, and second guessing, she finally broke. "I'm tired of pretending. I'm tired of pretending that I don't feel the pull of your heart. I'm tired of pretending that forcing myself on another man will cure my feelings for you. I'm tired of-"

Tony put his finger to her lips. He felt the soft, swift heat of her breath. He sensed that her heart was racing a mile a minute for him. He heard the heart wrenching sound of her sobs. And he enveloped her in his arms.

Why did he ever listen to his emotions? They only brought himself and his loved ones pain. Jeanne, and now Ziva had to suffer on his behalf. Why? It was the question he had pondered on for so long now, and yet he remained without an answer.

"I'm so sorry, Ziva," He murmured into her long, dark curls. "You've put up with me for so long and this is how I repay you. Giving you something that can never be."

Ziva choked back another sob, her trembling body weak in Tony's arms. "No…I…Tony, I don't know what to do anymore. I-I've tried, _really_ tried to make myself fall for another. It never works. You're the only one on my mind. This…'forbidden love', as they call it- assuming you feel the same way, I just…I can't…"

Tony didn't know what to say. Sure, there had been an ongoing attraction between the two, but he never realised how strongly she felt for him. That time in the elevator, when she had told him she was "Tired of pretending," had she meant it?

Words of comfort whispered from Tony's lips. Her feelings for him were requited, but would admitting to them cause more distress? His emotions had proved disastrous in the past.

"I'm sorry. Ignore me, I'm having a moment of weakness. In a minute this will all be over and we can act-"

He pulled her from his arms and kept her in a tight shoulder grasp, gazing intently into her eyes. The word had struck a chord from deep within him. "No more acting. No more pretending. Very Special Agent Ziva David, I'm gonna talk to Gibbs. "

The sound of a flush filled the agent's ears, and instants later, the toilet door swung open.

"Talk to me about what, DiNozzo?"

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Ohohoh XD Well, I was planning on keeping this as a one-shot, but that depends. Would you like to see this fic continue?

Just to let you know, Gibbs doesn't approve of Tony kissing Ziva. But he let him off once because he trusts that Tony has a sense of decency and a whit of intelligence in his brain to know what he's doing. Just as long as they don't start dating, Gibbs won't get them into too much trouble ;D (After all, Rule #12 is 'never date a co-worker', not 'never kiss a co-worker'. Not that it's right, but…do you catch my drift? xD)

So anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Review for a DiNozzo shaped virtu-cookie! :D


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